Pep Guardiola is quite the admirer of Leonardo Bonucci, but is Manchester City ready to make the Italian center-back the most expensive defender in football?
That’s what it may take to sign him from Juventus, according to recent reports.
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Guardiola called Bonucci one of his “favorite ever players” after facing Juventus in the Champions League with Bayern Munich last season. Now in Manchester, Pep is trying to bring Bonucci with him as City launched an initial bid of $50 million for the Italian international.
That offer was rejected by Juventus, with City now reportedly mulling over a potential $66 million offer for Bonucci. That figure would make the 29-year-old the most expensive defender in the game, surpassing David Luiz’s 2014 transfer from Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain.
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Bonucci has been with Juventus for six years, making nearly 300 appearances for the club while achieving unparalleled success. At Juve, Bonucci has won five Serie A titles to go with two Coppa Italia and three Supercoppa Italiana trophies.
He was a standout performer for Italy at EURO 2016, helping lead the Azzurri to the quarterfinal, where they were eliminated by Germany in penalties.
Under contract at Juventus until 2020, it is believed that Manchester City is willing to offer Bonucci a five year deal worth about $8 million per season to lure the defender to the Etihad.